Defending Hippotigris by Smith, T.L. (intellectual books to read txt) 📕

on me again. “So, what’s with the weird new uniform, and this?” Lizzy flipped my collar tabs. “You’re suddenly a colonel? Who are these guys and why am I here?”

She touched her own neck. “They shot me up with drugs. I didn’t feel a thing until I woke up. It was like… out of one of those stupid spy movies.”

“No so stupid.” Remy edged in, the corridors wide enough for all three of us. “Seems our dear Shara isn’t who she wanted us to think. She had a lot of secrets and they were unraveling downside.”

“What? She really is a spy?” Lizzy grinned and crooned. “Do-do do-do, do-do do-do.”

Remy snickered again and I looked up at him. A memory flashed back for me. “They didn’t drug you. What did Schaeffer say to get you to come along?”

There was his scowl. “Let’s just say mutual threats were exchanged. He notified Dr. Parsons you’d been contaminated by some toxin, ran bogus tests on her and her staff, then transferred the three of us out to a ‘prepared facility’ for treatment.”

He did well not telling Lizzy he’d been afforded the comfort of my quarters, while she got the brig. I didn’t say anything as Remy further explained my subterfuge all these years.

Lizzy took it a lot more easily than Remy, practically shrugging it off. “Makes sense. I noticed something different after you were married, but told myself that was the reason. I mean, no matter how long you live together, everything changes with the rings.” She jabbed my ribs. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, secrets like this aren’t allowed in marriage.”

“They’re not allowed between best-friend-sisters either.” Remy scowled.

“Hah! Please!” Lizzy rolled her head back at Remy. “We have the biggest secrets, that aren’t secrets, we just never talk about them.”

She saw the confused look on his face. “I knew Shara would marry you before she did. With other boyfriends I knew which were good in…”  She dodged my elbow. “…kissing.”

She said it with a wink even Remy couldn’t misinterpret. “She never talked about you, so you were her Prince Charming.”

She dodged my hand, laughing as she bounced off the wall and slipped behind Remy for protection. “Figured you had to be a real toe-curler to make her change so much in just one year.”

Remy blushed, but enjoyed her ribbing at my expense. “Chill it, Sis, or I’ll put you back in isolation.” The open corridors were too public for me.

“To hell with that! I didn’t ask to come on this ride. Oh yummm, happy hour.” Lizzy darted towards two approaching soldiers.

She slid to a stop between them, pulled her shoulders back and popped her breasts out. “My, my, my, all the pretty boys. You two want to come back to my place?” She shimmied for them, grinning.

I wanted to crawl under the decking. “Remy, please.”

He laughed as he sprinted up and pulled Lizzy off the two men. He covered her mouth when she started to protest. Just then the doors beside us opened and over his hand I saw Lizzy’s eyes widen.

CHAPTER SIX

 

 

Schaeffer stepped out into the corridor. “What the hell is going on out here?” His eyes fell on Remy, then down at Lizzy hanging from his arm.

“YEOW!” Remy dropped all five-foot-two of her and she landed like a cat, on her feet and prowling her next bird. Remy clutched his hand. “She bit me!”

If she had a tail, it would be flicking. I stepped up beside her. “Col. Richard Schaeffer, meet my friend, Lizzy Salazar.”

“Elizabeth, to you.”

Schaeffer started to give her a bow, but only managed to line himself up for the full-force flat of her hand against his cheek.

I had to give him points for not flinching. He simply stepped aside and allowed her entry into the conference room. “I apologize, Ms. Salazar, for your unsatisfactory accommodations. The situation has been corrected.”

He gave me a glare as I followed her in. I pointed her to a chair, Remy to another as I walked around the table set for two. The ensigns assigned to the briefing were already breaking out more place settings.

Schaeffer waited until they were finished before joining us, taking the seat opposite me. “I hadn’t planned on…entertaining.”

“Then, Dick, you should have left me to my reunion, or at least been nicer.” Lizzy snipped at him.

Schaeffer shifted his glare to her. “Would you have preferred not knowing if you’d ever see your friend alive again?”

She met him glare for glare, hers still the stalking feline. “No, Dick, but you would have found me cooperative to almost anything, if you’d asked.”

Did the fingerprints on his cheek just go a shade darker? I tried not to stare as they silently threw death-rays at each other. Fortunately the ensigns arrived with the first course. Schaeffer broke off the show-down. “Please proceed with serving. Our guests no doubt would appreciate a meal before returning to their quarters.”

Food! I dug into my first meal in days. Apparently Lizzy felt the same way, quelling her need for vengeance for real food.

I felt much better and ready to talk business as the last dishes were cleared. I looked to Remy, then Lizzy. “I really do need to find out why I’m here. I promise, as soon as we’re done here, I’ll explain about all this, about me.”

“Sure! We’ll leave you and Dick to talk.” Lizzy agreed, not taking any additional shots at Schaeffer. Deep down that had me worried. She was more dangerous when she was quiet.

Schaeffer watched Lizzy walk away from the table, or rather sashay. She always knew when a man was looking, especially one in her cross-hairs. He looked away as she glanced over her shoulder.

She caught him anyway and winked at me. Maybe her focused on tormenting him was a good thing. The crew would be relatively safe.

Relatively. “Remy, keep an eye on Lizzy? You’re free to take a look around before going back to our room.”

“Sure…” Remy said it with some hesitancy, but didn’t argue about leaving. Throughout the meal he’d